13th Sunday after Pentecost – Byron Tindall
Ephesus
The city of Ephesus is located in the western part of what is now Turkey, across the Aegean Sea from Athens, Greece. Back when this letter was penned, Ephesus was a major commercial center and the capital of the Roman province of Asia. It needs to be noted that this is not the same as the present-day continent of Asia.
Ephesus was no small wide spot in the Roman Empire. It boasted an amphitheater that seated nearly 25,000 spectators. It was also home to the magnificent Temple of Artemis mentioned in Acts 19:27. This edifice was also known as the Temple of Diana.
According to the Acts of the Apostles’, Paul visited Ephesus on his second missionary journey as well as on his third journey. During that third journey, he stayed in the city for two to three years.
There is some disagreement between Biblical scholars as to whether or not Paul actually wrote the Letter to the Ephesians. A good case can be made for saying that Paul did write the letter. A just as strong position is available to those who say someone else is the author. I’ll not get into that discussion any further at this time.
Ephesus, prior to the introduction of Christianity, was what we would call a pagan city. The arrival of Christianity caused “no little disturbance” among the residents who made their living with practices deemed demonic or idolatrous by Christians.
This section of the Letter to the Ephesians read this morning. pretty well sums up how a Christian was supposed to live.
It’s generally accepted that the followers of Jesus were called Christians by the time this letter was composed. Prior to being called Christians, the disciples were known as “Followers of the Way.”
We read in Acts 11:26, “and when he (Barnabas) had found him, (Paul), he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they associated with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians.’
Paul first visited Antioch in about 44. His lengthy visit to Ephesus is believed to have taken place some 10-12 years later.
End of history lesson. “So, what’s this got to do with us today?” you may very well be asking yourself at this point in time.
Well, I’m going out on a limb and say the words Christian and Christianity have been hijacked in the world in which we live today. Let me explain what I mean by that.
One can pick a belief, no matter how far off from what Jesus showed us, and find a quote church unquote that supports that belief.
Both the Old and New Testaments tell us how to treat the sojourner in our midst. But yet…
Jesus, by word and deed, showed what He thought about the outcast, the abused, the lonely, the poor, the sinner, the downtrodden, the sick, the hungry, those in prison, the environment, women, and children. He actually showed more than a little disdain for the powerful, the elite and even organized religion.
There was a movement a few years ago, especially among younger Christians, called WWJD (What would Jesus do?). Its followers were supposed to ask themselves what Jesus would do when faced with a similar situation. It worked well if the proponents went back to Jesus’s life to get the answer rather than listen to the tapes instilled by a particular branch of Christianity.
I’m in no way saying that all of Christianity has gone astray. I am saying that certain segments seem to have forgotten what Jesus taught and the road down which He led and leads us if we’re following Him.
I try to be open to the way others believe.
But when members of a certain congregation located in Kansas rejoice at the death of a member of the LBGQT community, I question how they can call themselves Christians. This same group of people protest at funerals for members of the armed forces. Really! Is this how Jesus would react under similar circumstances?
When politicians appeal to fellow Christians who think like them for votes, I become a little more than upset.
I have more than a little problem with anyone who tries to limit God’s loving, saving embrace to those who think like they do. Those who look like they do. Those who speak like they do. Those who live like they do. Those who love like they do.
Who do we think we are when we arrogantly tell our Creator who He can and who He can’t love.
I worship and hopefully follow, the God of Love, not some god of hate. Our Presiding Bishop so rightly reminded us that “if it’s not about love, it’s not about God.”
If St. Paul were to write a letter to the churches in the United States, I can only guess how he would start it. “Grace to you and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. We have a huge problem…”
There have always been and still are many Followers of the Way.
In my way of thinking, a few of the contemporary or almost contemporaries of our time include: Dietrich Bonhoffer, C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jonathan M. Daniels and his companions, Desmond Tutu, Richard Rohr, The Most Rev. Michael Curry, The Rt. Rev. Rob Wright. And the list could go on and on and on. There are many members of Holy Family who could be included in this list.
There’s a meme running around on Facebook that I like.
“It’s not the task of the church to ‘make America great again.’ The contemporary task of the church is to make Christianity countercultural again. And once we untether Jesus from the interests of empire, we begin to see just how countercultural and radical Jesus’ ideas actually are. Enemies? Love them. Violence? Renounce it. Money? Share it. Foreigners? Welcome them. Sinners? Forgive them. These are the kind of radical ideas that will always be opposed by the principalities and powers, but which the followers of Jesus are called to embrace, announce, and enact.” We have to ask ourselves whether we are going to be followers of the way or proponents of some watered-down, misinterpreted version of Christianity.